The Workhorse Irons Rotary

[specialtechnique]

hi folks. the workhorse irons rotary should be on the street in about a week. it's super light and powerful, with a long 3.5mm stroke. it runs great fast or slow. the tube vise is steel and the body is delrin, so the forward balance is really nice. the hardware is all black, except the contacts and armature post, which are antique brass. i know of 10 of these machines working in the field at this time, and everyone loves them. they work for lining and shading, and different ink viscosities. the machine was designed by soba and myself. it's a tremendous honor to be involved in this project. i should have some on hand in a week also. i will post some photos once soba gives me the go ahead. thanks everyone. --bill

[Snax]

sweet bill!

[caglakhan]

will these have the cam (index style, i think)?

[Indio Ink]

I just saw the image in Special techniques page. Looks pretty solid!

[Indio Ink]

Here's the link:

Im allowed to post this right?

http://specialtechnique.net/2011/05/01/the-workhorse-irons-rotary/

[hendricksonart.com]

did you say something about having a carbon fiber armature bar for a little give? Really nice looking machine i must say

[jeremy corns]

slid an order in today and luckily got the last one available. super excited! i will post my personal review after about five tattoos..... cant wait

[linsner666]

And? im still on the waiting list! :-(

[hendricksonart.com]

I got to use this thing yesterday, not enough to really give it a run down, will use it more today. So far I like the kinda coil raw look to it. Pretty loud sounding machine especially with out a needle bar in place, kinda put me off a little, untill I tattooed with it. It tattoos very nicely, the motor seems to kinda back off a little when tattooing compared to my bishop which gave it kinda of a coil like feel. I did feel as if I could control my shading to a very high degree. Ill post more after today I have a large piece Im working on with this thing. So far I like it, it made me wonder what other machines from special technique are like. Would like to use it for black and grey but have to give it back to my buddy tonight. Its a nice machine so far. Ps it is beyond light, which might be its biggest quality so far

[sneekers]

love the look of the machine old school twist ,nice,alot of the new machines coming out today wouldnt go a miss in a surgery,or to nice to use,(you know what i mean)?

[Cthulhu73]

Got an order in today 2 left after mine.

[Cthulhu73]

OK been playing with this one for a while now and I am of the belief that perhaps I just got a "lemon". The noise is horrid (no biggie) but the plastic piece connecting motor to armature bar kept popping off the motor end? Tightening the plastic screw made it no longer pop off but now it catches and I have to "kickstart" the damn thing every time I let off the foot switch. Anybody with one of these machines please offer some insight.

[Dane]

I havent had that problem at all out of mine. Maybe you did get a faulty piece or something. I would contact workhorse and see if they cant repair/replace it for you.

[Cthulhu73]

Dane did yours have anything connecting the plastic piece to the motor or was it free floating only held on by the screw on bottom?

[Dane]

http://i46.photobucket.com/albums/f146/rev_bama/DSCN2863.jpg (http://i46.photobucket.com/albums/f146/rev_bama/DSCN2863.jpg)

Sorry for the super long delay. This is what the bottom of mine looks like.

[fkirons]

may be the bottom screw has too much pressure and its stopping the shaft from moving freely.

[gangstajay]

So its been a few weeks..so how are the workhorse irons rotary working out for everyone??

[peter clements]

Jay I have the Specialtechnique Slingshot V2 which is very similar,for the type of machine that it is I just prefered to buy directly from Bill. It's a great machine,lovely to use, it's not ideal for line though if you shortened the stroke it could be.

[polynesianworks]

i haven't heard too much of this machine, not too many fans?

[gangstajay]

i haven't heard too much of this machine, not too many fans?
thats what I was thinking..cuz the price isnt bad..so I was waiting to hear som reviews but nothing has came up

[polynesianworks]

Ttt for the workhorse!

[Dreviltattoo]

can you build me one with an rca?

[gangstajay]

you can probly get an rca connector from king pin and put it on yourself and save some money

[peter clements]

Or you could make one of these easily http://kryton.clickandbuild.com/cnb/shop/dannys?productID=101&op=catalogue-product_info-null&prodCategoryID=19

[chuanhsiang]

hi everyone, i just got a workhorse rotary machine, and i have a few problems and questions with it.
First, do i need any specific power supply for it? and how many volts do you guys use?
i had to turn it down to 2-3 volts, otherwise its too powerful.
Second, i use my thumb to push the armature bar, and it stops, so i was wondering if i was using the wrong power supply

[peter clements]

Low voltage is normal for this machine. What type of power supply do you use and what do you mean when you say you push the armature bar?

[chuanhsiang]

i used critical power supply,
like people use the thumb to push up against the armature bar to see how powerful the machine is, so when i push up against it, the machine stopped running.

[gangstajay]

I wonder if it has to do with that screw in the back of the machine that seems like it hols the crank arm on..?? I really wanted to give this machine a try, but have not seen any thing positive yet

[slicksteel]

I realy don't like the looks of this machine nor how it works-looks shody on the back side area compared to bill's regular stuff this does not look to good!

[gangstajay]

i used critical power supply,
like people use the thumb to push up against the armature bar to see how powerful the machine is, so when i push up against it, the machine stopped running.
hmm thats odd..well if your using a cx-2 then bump the voltage up a notch at a time.. i took this off the site.. it says up to 5 volts

- CNC Cut Delrin Body, Iron Tube Vise, and Deluxe Workhorse Hardware
- Ideal for both Lining and Shading
- Long stroke, medium hit, with the power you expect from a rotary
- Voltage determines speed, dial-in to accommodate user preference
- Optimum operating range is between 3 and 5 Volts
- Run the motor clockwise for best performance
- Weighs in at a mere 3.5 oz!

[gangstajay]

they say it has a 4 mm throw and with that arm bar set up..i bet it packs a punch

[Tat2dPinoy]

I wonder if it has to do with that screw in the back of the machine that seems like it hols the crank arm on..?? I really wanted to give this machine a try, but have not seen any thing positive yet

It absolutely does. I had the same issue, made some adjustments with the back screw and it runs smoothly now. Great liner

[gangstajay]

It absolutely does. I had the same issue, made some adjustments with the back screw and it runs smoothly now. Great liner
I have been trying to find some feed back on this machine..some pics of work or a video of just the machine running ..there is nothing

[Dreviltattoo]

Did u make sure u had the polarity the right way? It says to run it clockwise for best results.

[Tat2dPinoy]

Also my armature rod was set too far forward. I loosened the top center screw and adjusted this, while making sure the back bracket was tight in the up position, but had a tiny bit of play to it in the down position. Dreviltattoo is correct, check under the machine for the + sign to correctly connect so that the motor runs clockwise

[chuanhsiang]

yea i use cx-2, and i run it clockwise too, so i guess it has got to do with the screw adjustment, so ill try a few more times, and if anyone knows how to adjust the screw please help~would appreciate it so much thanks =)

[Billy808]

I was always adjusting mine and it would work fine for a bit, but then get stuck again. Finally I threw some grease on the plastic screw on the back and it runs way better.

[vsprotoss]

so how is this machine? seems like the reactions have been totally mixed

[adpass]

I bought a WHI Rotary a week ago and I've been having alot of problems with it, wonder if anyone can help me out.

So I had to instal an rca kit from icon but it runs fine on the first step of the pedal. After a second step, if the motor is in a certain position, it locks up and doesn't cycle. I tried to grease it up a bit but it seems to be something with the motor itself. Im not sure. Just locks up and i have to push the bar mechanism attached to the motor to get it going again. The power is constant so im ruling the rca out.

Anyone have any suggestions save calling WHI on monday? Ill be doing that regardless.

Thanks guys.

Alex

[ASW1485]

The only issue ive been having with mine is that sometimes I have to kickstart every once in awhile, and this is between 3-3.5 volts. I just keep my critical on the constant setting so it just continues to run until I hit my pedal. Besides that, it makes a great shader/color packer. Although I haven't tried it as a liner, because I like my bishop for that purpose.

[G.Graves]

I'm going to give it a try, I'll let you know how it works for me.

[Sage Oz]

My coworker here at our shop has had one for about 3 months now so we've got a pretty good feel for it. It does in fact tattoo pretty well for everything we've thrown at it but it does have a few issues. The linkage bar design seems a bit under designed to me, it's pretty touchy about the plastic screw that holds it in place. Too tight or loose and it binds needing a kick start. A bit annoying. Greasing it is a good idea as it has a lot of free floating plastic rubbing sporadically. It's also kinda loud for a rotary until you hit skin and it settles into a hum. Not just loud but a plastic staticky sound that's a bit unpleasant. The slingshot armature is a pretty cool design, though it has a small arc(like a swashdrive) due to the small radius of pivot but I really like the carbon fiber rod arm's give. The pivot unfortunately isn't bearing mounted like special techniques other designs, just a metal rod contained in the Delron housing which seems to have a lot of gap allowing a LOT of side to side play of the armature and therefore an oval(rather than linear) stroke. Goes away mostly once you've loaded it up with a fair amount of rubber bands but not my ideal choice for flexy small grouping needles. Im not a fan of the scotch yoke connector either, id rather a straight up bearing mounted conrod. The looks of course are subjective, but though I'm a fan of plastic swashdrives I prefer my machines to have metal bodies, just my aesthetics. So it is a good working machine but I think some of the details could use refining to make it more user friendly and friction free. The tube vise is made very well and the machine overall has very good quality and hardware. So overall I do like it but would like to see a refined updated version with: bearing mounted armature with a pivot point a bit further back on the frame, a conrod in place of the touchy Scottish yoke, and an RCA clip would be nice.

[G.Graves]

Thanks for the review of this machine, sounds like a few issues need to be settled for this to be a great machine. Hopefully I can find it's sweet spot and do some fun tattoos with it:)

[linsner666]

finaly i bought one! hope it will be here tomorrow or saturday!

[Brian]

My coworker here at our shop has had one for about 3 months now so we've got a pretty good feel for it. It does in fact tattoo pretty well for everything we've thrown at it but it does have a few issues. The linkage bar design seems a bit under designed to me, it's pretty touchy about the plastic screw that holds it in place. Too tight or loose and it binds needing a kick start. A bit annoying. Greasing it is a good idea as it has a lot of free floating plastic rubbing sporadically. It's also kinda loud for a rotary until you hit skin and it settles into a hum. Not just loud but a plastic staticky sound that's a bit unpleasant. The slingshot armature is a pretty cool design, though it has a small arc(like a swashdrive) due to the small radius of pivot but I really like the carbon fiber rod arm's give. The pivot unfortunately isn't bearing mounted like special techniques other designs, just a metal rod contained in the Delron housing which seems to have a lot of gap allowing a LOT of side to side play of the armature and therefore an oval(rather than linear) stroke. Goes away mostly once you've loaded it up with a fair amount of rubber bands but not my ideal choice for flexy small grouping needles. Im not a fan of the scotch yoke connector either, id rather a straight up bearing mounted conrod. The looks of course are subjective, but though I'm a fan of plastic swashdrives I prefer my machines to have metal bodies, just my aesthetics. So it is a good working machine but I think some of the details could use refining to make it more user friendly and friction free. The tube vise is made very well and the machine overall has very good quality and hardware. So overall I do like it but would like to see a refined updated version with: bearing mounted armature with a pivot point a bit further back on the frame, a conrod in place of the touchy Scottish yoke, and an RCA clip would be nice.

Sage Oz, Thank you for the review on the Workhorse Rotary, I thought I would take a minute to address a few of the issues regarding the machine.



The linkage bar design seems a bit under designed to me, it's pretty touchy about the plastic screw that holds it in place. Too tight or loose and it binds needing a kick start. A bit annoying.

I can see how it may seem this way but alot of time and effort has gone into that design. It is a touchy adjustment initially because the nylon screw tends to flex back a tad bit after it is tightened. In reality, this is an adjustment that is needed very rarely, usually only after replacing parts.



Greasing it is a good idea as it has a lot of free floating plastic rubbing sporadically.

Please do not grease this area because the grease becomes a dust collector and will accelerate wear of the parts and ensure more "greasing" and maintenance. The materials used in this design are self lubricating and shouldn't require additional lubrication. Basically, once you grease or oil these moving parts, you will have to do so frequently unless you dis-assemble the machine and clean all of the grease off. If you feel the need to lubricate the parts, please use a dry teflon or graphite as it won't attract dust and debris into the moving parts.



So overall I do like it but would like to see a refined updated version with: bearing mounted armature with a pivot point a bit further back on the frame, a conrod in place of the touchy Scottish yoke


You can rest assured that Workhorse Irons only manufactures and sells top quality products and stands behind them. The machine will be refined based on customer feedback in the near future and has been a very successful initial release. It's only going to get better from here...

Thanks again for the feedback, this is how products are improved...

[G.Graves]

I've been using them for a month now, and I say "them" because I have two of them. I think they could be great machines in the near future, but right now I would not use another one right now. The resone I have two is because I wanted to make sure I didn't get a faulty machine. I was having issues with the motor changing speeds up and down on me while tattooing and I use a eikon ems400. Tried to line with it several times and could not get any clean passes.

The noise is another downer with the machine, all that plastic back there just kills it. I got the noise to die down allot by adding a simple grommet over the back on the carbon bar, made a huge difference. I made a video of it if anyone is want to see it? I personal think the back of the machine need to be redesigned and put in a solid bar, no carbon. I think the fact of putting give bars kills it for me. By this is only me personal thoughts about the machine.

One of the best looking machines in my eyes, but I can't get it to work for me. I sold one already and will be trading the other one soon. I saw the new machine, and would love to get my hands on one of those.

[linsner666]

got mine yesterday and tried it up today! nice lookin and pretty light machine!
first try.....all hell breaks loose at 6.5V! :eek:
so turned it dovn to 2V! yepp it sounds lousy and was damn loud!
but easy to fix! the problem was the loose plasticspacer in the mechanism! so i lubed it up a little with siliconegrease (ok brian wrote not to grease it cause of the dirt but better to clean it once a week and relube it before let it run dry)! and i placed a little piece of silikonehose to hold the spacer down in place! makes a BIG difference!!! go try it out!
finaly i put a o-ring around the machine, its not too hard to slow it down but enough to move the needle back when u stop the machine! and with that there is no dead-end-point so u dont have to "kickstart" it again!

made some pics for explaining! ;-)

[G.Graves]

^^^^ very nice, the only thing I didn't do the same was adding the print to keep the needle resting in the up position. Going to have to try that out. If anyone else want to give this machine a try, let me know and we can make a trade.

[linsner666]

;) lol.....didnt read your post!

[peter clements]

I've been using them for a month now, and I say "them" because I have two of them. I think they could be great machines in the near future, but right now I would not use another one right now. The resone I have two is because I wanted to make sure I didn't get a faulty machine. I was having issues with the motor changing speeds up and down on me while tattooing and I use a eikon ems400. Tried to line with it several times and could not get any clean passes.

It's no secret that I like clipcords, but recently I've bitten the bullit with RCA jacks, as I'm now convinced some rotaries perform far much better with them. Convert one of your workhorse machines to RCA and I'd be surprised if there isn't a great improvement-give it a go and report back :)

[G.Graves]

^^^one step ahead of you, first thing I did was convert it to RCA. So I tried both ways and still having issues with it pulsating. I dint think it's the motor, more like the hardwear in the back of the machine making It run weird. Thanks for the tips:)